Latest News* Check out items with reduced prices! Go to the ON SALE section for LPs & CDs up to 50% off!* Check out the new Single Layer SACD reissue series from Venus Records in the SACD-Jazz section!
* Take a look at our Jazz vinyl LP selection!!
* Special audiophile formats from Japan: SHM-SACD, Blu-spec CD, HQCD and SHM-CD!

Kenny Drew 20th Memorial Series
Paper Sleeve Limited Edition - Only 1,000 copies pressed!A collection of previously unreleased materials by the Kenny Drew Trio, originally recorded for Japanese labels Baystate and Alpha beween 1972 and 1992, now released to commemmorate the 20th anniversary of his passing. A rich trove of superb piano trio performances!

American pianist Kenny Drew (1928-1993) moved to Copenhagen, Denmark, in 1964. Although he may have somewhat faded from the radar of American jazz fans, he had a fantastic career in Denmark and was beloved by European and Japanese jazz fans. In the late 1970s and 1980s, Drew's popularity in Japan grew to incredible heights when he began recording for Japanese labels such as Baystate and Alpha under a partnership with Japanese producer Makoto Kimata.

To commemmorate the 20th anniversary of Drew's passing, a very special series was launched in Japan in 2013, with a release of previously unpublished materials recorded for the two labels between 1972 and 1992. They are alternate takes and takes that did not make onto the original albums released in this period. Danish super-bassist Niels-Henning Orsted Pedersen held the bass chair throughout, and the drummer is either Ed Thigpen, a fellow American expat who had settled in Copenhagen, or Alvin Queen.

It is quite amazing to hear the consistently high quality of these "outtakes" and to realize that there is enough material to fill 15 CDs in this series. Actually, many these "outtakes" tend to be more exciting than those takes that made the original albums. They may have been "cut" because they were slightly rough around the edges, but perhaps they were played with more freedom, abandon, and adventurous spirit. This particular CD includes two originals by Drew: a solo piano piece "Smiling For You" and "Eco Trip."